


The Motives and Goals of Ming Xiao

by Fortheoneatopthecity



Category: Kindred of the East, Vampire: The Masquerade, Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines (Video Game), World of Darkness (Games)
Genre: Essay, Essays, Other, Theories, Theories of Motives and Goals
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-29
Updated: 2020-01-29
Packaged: 2021-02-27 21:06:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,554
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22469839
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fortheoneatopthecity/pseuds/Fortheoneatopthecity
Summary: An essay on Ming Xiao's Motives and Goals
Comments: 6
Kudos: 9





	The Motives and Goals of Ming Xiao

One of the things I’ve had a hard time with when writing Ming Xiao is understanding her motives and goals for taking over LA. Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodlines doesn’t do a great job of explaining Ming Xiao’s motives, in fact we hardly get to know her very well at all compared to some of the other main faction leaders such as Sebastian LaCroix or Nines Rodriguez, which is a shame, as without Ming Xiao’s role in the game things in the story wouldn’t be the same. LaCroix is motivated to get the Ankaran sarcophagus in order to diablerize the supposed Ancient Kindred inside and thus finally gain the power to make LA truly his. Nines’ motive is to rid LA of the Camarilla, Sabbat and Kuei-jin, so the city can truly go back to being the Anarch Free State it was meant to be. Whilst Ming Xiao is shown to be a ruthless, powerful and untrustworthy woman, we still don’t get to perceive her motives and goals, as Troika either ran out of time and had to cut some things out or, more depressingly, didn’t think too much about it. But perhaps the answers can found in the World of Darkness source books?  
So, let’s ask some questions.  
What is Ming Xiao’s Dharma?  
Why did Ming Xiao bring her followers all the way from presumably China to Los Angeles?  
Why did Ming Xiao revive the Tong, if her role is to serve the people of Chinatown?  
Why did Ming Xiao agree to an alliance with Prince Sebastian LaCroix, her enemy?  
Why did Ming Xiao end up breaking off her alliance with Prince Sebastian LaCroix and reveal the truth of who murdered Grout and the framing of Nines Rodriguez?  
And Why did Ming Xiao betray the player character in the Kuei-jin ending?

What is Ming Xiao’s Dharma?  
While Ming Xiao’s Dharma is never stated on the Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodlines wiki, Ming Xiao’s Dharma is suspected to be the Song of Shadow, nicknamed Bone Flowers and, for a time, I thought so too. But that was before I got The Kindred of the East source book. Having read that book, I now disagree with the assessment that Ming Xiao is a Bone Flower, instead, I would argue that she fits more aptly The Way of the Resplendant Crane.  
Disciples of the Way of the Resplendant Crane, in the long and short of it, know they died drenched in sin and see the world which they know as the Middle Kingdom suffering because of imperfection. They believe that if the world had better and more enlightened leaders, then it would be a better place. It’s often seen as a path of redemption. Those Kuei-jin brought back through the Second Breath recognize they were shameful in life and now seek to redeem themselves by helping save the Middle Kingdom from itself and preventing the Sixth Age, the coming of which they do not consider to be set in stone. By preventing the Sixth Age, the cycle could be brought back to the Age of Heaven. As with most things in the World of Darkness, not every one of the Resplendant Cranes are on the same page and there are different views on how to save the Middle Kingdom. For example, the Shining Ice Guardians, to quote directly from the source material, Kindred of the East:  
**Shining Ice Guardians recognize that the entire world cannot be saved. Things have gone too far out of balance; dead wood will have to be cut away. Most sages set their hopes on the redemption of the Golden Fields — of the Eastern lands and their peoples. The misery in the Orient has been caused by foreign invaders, from the Mongols to the Americans. These invaders carry disease like plague-dogs, and their sickness must be purged. If that requires a blood-cleansing, so be it. Heaven will deal with the dogs in its own way; the Kuei-jin have been sent back to make the Golden Fields pure again.**  
And the reason, I believe Ming Xiao is a Resplendant Crane, possibly of the Shining Ice Guardians’ path, is the fact that her goal is to kill or drive out the Kindred presence in Los Angeles. When the Malkavian Player mentions the Yama Kings and the coming of the Demon Emperor, Ming Xiao defiantly states that the Sixth Age has not yet come and quickly changes the subject. The Sixth Age to some older Kuei-jin is inevitable and cannot be stopped or changed no matter what. But as I have stated before, the Resplendant Cranes, do not believe that the Age of Sorrow is unavoidable and therefore it can be prevented.  
The other reason I believe Ming Xiao to be a Resplendant Crane is based on her actions with regard to the Ankaran sarcophagus. Instead of opening it or using it for her own ends, Ming Xiao, in the Kuei-jin ending, personally oversees the sarcophagus being thrown into the Ocean, to sink deep-down to the bottom of the sea. Too bad she doesn’t realise that the sarcophagus wasn’t the real reason the city is awash with dread but rather the fact that Cain is driving around LA as a cabby! XD She also manages to get the key to the Ankaran sarcophagus immediately, to prevent some fool, i.e LaCroix for example, from opening it, possibly wreaking havoc and bringing about the Age of Sorrow.  
Of course, I could be wrong, and I do welcome anyone discussing with me why they might disagree with my assessment of Ming Xiao’s Dharma or pointing to any info the writers of VTMB might have said on the subject.

Why did Ming Xiao bring her followers all the way from presumably China to Los Angeles?  
Well, the reason Kuei-jin are even moving to the West to conquer Kindred territory is in the source material White Wolf provided. Long story short, it is to avenge the many humiliations Asia suffered through western colonialism, and it’s possible that many Kuei-jin, especially those of The Way of the Resplendant Crane blame the western Kindred for the ills of the world. Some might even think that the elimination of the Kindred and other western supernatural creatures is a way to prevent the Sixth Age or, as it’s better known in Kuei-jin culture, the Age of Sorrow. Kindred might equate the of Age of Sorrow to Gehenna, however there are more Ages after the Sixth Age on the Wheel of Ages.  
The Great Leap Outward, which is what this event is called, started on January 1st, 1998. However, not every Kuei-jin was on board and the project has faced much criticism, many saying that it’s a waste of resources and time and that it’s not the duty of the Kuei-jin to kill foreign supernatural creatures. The Sixth Age at the time of VTMB’s release was drawing near. If you want to read more of the history of the Great Leap Outward, it can be found on the White Wolf Wiki or in the original VTM and Kuei-jin source books.  
Now with that brief little history lesson out of the way, let’s answer the question of why Ming Xiao is here in Los Angeles. As I have said in the previous discussion with regard to Ming Xiao’s Dharma, I personally believe that like many Kuei-jin coming to America, her motive is to save the Middle Kingdom and prevent the Sixth Age, and taking over Los Angeles is her doing her bit towards that end.  
Another thing we have to consider is that when Ming Xiao first arrived in LA in 2001 to take over the domain from the previous Ancestor, Monkey Trip Wu who had vanished, I very much doubt she was impressed with what the Anarchs had done with the city. At the time the crime rate was high so she probably saw the Anarch Free States as nothing more than childish gangland games and considered they were wasting the opportunity their new unlives had given them.

Why did Ming Xiao revive the Tong, if her role is to serve the people of Chinatown?  
Well, we have an idea of the possible motivation Ming Xiao has and in theory it is a noble one. She wants to save the world from doom and if she has to spill the blood of the western supernatural creatures to accomplish it, then fair enough. But why fund the Tong, since their presence is causing harm to the people of Chinatown, her charges? We have to remember Ming Xiao is also a ruthless woman and may have the belief that the ends justify the means, no matter how much damage is done to the people of Chinatown. After all, once the Kindred are out of the city, she can make it all up by dismantling the Tong. Remember Ming Xiao became an important figure to the community of Chinatown by funding and restoring the Temple of Golden Virtue and probably no doubt funded other local business that weren’t doing well in these modern Americacentric times.  
Funding the Tong enables the Kuei-jin to have more men to help fight the Anarchs, brings more money to fund this war and possibly a constant supply of Chi through living mortal’s blood or breath provided through human trafficking. And as the Second Breath is usually given to those who die violently or with much sin, it also creates more foot soldiers to build an army to fight the Anarchs. This might be a bit of a stretch, but I think this could be the reason Ming Xiao has funded the Tong, she’s fighting a war with the Anarchs and she’ll do anything to win. Possibly the reason Ming Xiao ends up having Wong Ho and his daughter killed is that he’s becoming a thorn in the Tong’s side.

Why did Ming Xiao agree to an alliance with Prince Sebastian LaCroix, her enemy?  
At the beginning of VTMB it’s been six years since the Kuei-jin first came into LA and the war between the Anarchs and the Kuei-jin has come to a standstill. Despite dealing the Anarchs many heavy blows to the point that both the Camarilla and Sabbat were able to slip into LA and claim some territory, the Kuei-jin have also taken some damage and cannot afford to be careless. And despite the supposed death of Jeremy McNeil, Nines Rodriguez’s predecessor, leader of the LA Anarchs, the Anarchs remained strong and grew their ranks everyday due to Nines Rodriguez’s leadership. So it would be prudent for Ming Xiao to rid of herself of this threat, but also, she needs the other Kindred factions off her back.  
Thankfully, Ming Xiao just so happens to know a disgruntled Camarilla Prince that also wants Nines Rodriguez, the Anarchs and the Sabbat out of the way. We don’t know which one approached the other first, but Sebastian LaCroix must have heard of one of the Kuei-jin’s powers to be able to turn into anyone they want, which is the highest level of the Flesh Shintai discipline.  
In exchange for keeping the Camarilla off the Kuei-jin’s back and the chance to get rid of Nines, Ming Xiao agrees to LaCroix’s plan to frame the Anarch leader for the murder of Alister Grout. Ming Xiao likely found out about LaCroix’s reason for wanting Grout dead through the many recordings in Grout’s mansion, despite the Malkavian Primogen not naming names. At some point there were plans to also rid LA of the ‘lesser’ factions- the Anarchs and the Sabbat but that plan probably got pushed to the wayside by LaCroix’s growing obsession with the Ankaran sarcophagus.

And why did Ming Xiao end up breaking off her alliance with Prince Sebastian LaCroix and reveal the truth of who murdered Grout and the framing of Nines Rodriguez?  
By the time Ming Xiao reveals the truth to the player, she has suffered a number of setbacks; you’ve cut down the Tong’s leader and wreaked havoc on the whole organization, including the Fu Syndicate and have killed the Chang Brothers, her best agents. Plus, despite the blood hunt called on him, Nines is still at large and LaCroix has become completely obsessed with the Ankaran sarcophagus. Perhaps she fears or believes LaCroix will decide to turn on her and reveal who really murdered Grout. Everything for her is unravelling and by this point the player has proven to be an incredible ally worth having.  
Ming Xiao reveals the truth to the player to make you turn against LaCroix and possibly encourage you to go and tell the Anarchs, which will lead to a war between the Anarchs and the Camarilla. However, then Ming Xiao goes and mentions that she has the key. I find her motivation for doing so on shaky ground, since it feels more like a ‘Come at me bro’ moment, which doesn’t seem the smartest thing for her to do. Or perhaps she knows that LaCroix cannot resist the opportunity to kill Nines rather than team up with him to kill the Kuei-jin together and since you’ve survived this long, surely you can handle whatever threat LaCroix will throw your way and then come crawling to her.  
I can’t help but think that, like LaCroix’s later actions of a desperate man scrambling for any semblance of power, Ming Xiao’s actions at this point are of a woman losing control of the situation, thanks to the unexpected power of the player. Perhaps it was intended by the writers of VTMB for this to be the case and, unlike LaCroix, who’s barely keeping himself together, Ming Xiao is better at hiding her true emotions. The anger and rage Ming Xiao truly feels only spill out when you fight her in the other endings.

And Why did Ming Xiao betray the player character in the Kuei-jin ending?  
In the Kuei-jin ending the player has successfully defeated all of LaCroix’s men and The Sheriff, showing their unusually fast rate of power gain. After all, you’ve only been a vampire for two weeks at most, who knows how powerful you’ll be in a year or two. And Ming Xiao’s plans do not include you living amongst Kuei-jin, though there have been Kindred such as Salvador Garcia, a former ally of Jeremy McNeil who joined the Kuei-jin and didn’t get screwed over, though that was back in the old WOD canon and things might be different now.  
However, to Ming Xiao you are nothing but a threat that needs to be taken care of since she thinks that Nines Rodriguez is dead, as is LaCroix. Little does she know that Nines is luckier than most… So, Ming Xiao straps the player to the Ankaran sarcophagus and dumps you and it in the ocean, perhaps believing she’s made the first step in preventing the Sixth Age.

So, in conclusion, I believe that I’ve outlined what sort of motives and goals Ming Xiao has. She’s trying to help stop the Age of Sorrow through any means necessary, no matter the cost. Again, a noble goal, but one that does not include the rest of Kindred kind.  
Thank you for reading my essay on Ming Xiao’s motives and goals and I hope you found it enlightening or at the very least interesting. Any thoughts or criticism are very welcome.


End file.
